James Moore Hickson: The 'Miracle Man' Recognized by F....

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James Moore Hickson: The 'Miracle Man' Recognized by F.F. Bosworth and David J. du Plessis

By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind "Christ the Healer"
Copyright (c) 2019

#FFBosworth

James Moore Hickson
(1868 - 1933)
 
Reminder: "F.F. Bosworth History" is now on Twitter. Follow @bosworth_fred

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When F.F. Bosworth sought to bolster his argument for "healing in the Atonement," he cited a number of "eminent men" from the Episcopal church. One of those men was James Moore Hickson, a layman who was known as the "Miracle Man."

In his book, Christ the Healer, Bosworth mentioned Hickson in Chapter 2, "Did Jesus Redeem Us From Our Diseases When He Atoned for Our Sins?" He noted:

James Moore Hickson pleads: "A living Church is one in which the Living Christ lives and walks, doing through its members what He did in the days of His flesh. It must, therefore, be a HEALING Church as well as a soul-saving Church ... Spiritual healing is sacramental. It is the extension through the members of His mystical body of His own incarnate life."

Hickson, who was sometimes called a "Healer," was born in 1868 in Mansfield, Victoria, Australia. He began praying for the sick -- and seeing them healed -- when he was just 14 years of age.

"The man has had peculiar power from childhood and feels it his mission to stir up the church to its possibilities," a woman said of him in the Coronado Eagle and Journal(February 7, 1920).

Hickson was the author of The Healing of Christ in His Church (Edwin S. Gorham, 1919) and Heal the Sick (Methuen & Company, 1924). He was also the founder of The Society of Emmanuel. The ministry changed its name to The Divine Healing Mission in 1933.

Like others in his day, Hickson was often lambasted in newspapers and accused of promoting quackery and counterfeit healings. Still, there were many who reportedly found healing or some measure of comfort through his ministry. Although some of the healings in his ministry were instantaneous, most were gradual, according to Hickson. He carried his ministry of healing to many nations, including the United States.

David J. du Plessis, a.k.a., Mr. Pentecost, believed Hickson was an apostle whom God used to restore the message of divine healing to the church in the 20th century. He suggested his ministry of healing in mainline denominations was an ecumenical effort that surpassed even the work of Pentecostals. He discussed Hickson in his book, The Spirit Bade Me Go: The Astounding Move of God in the Denominational Churches(Logos International, 1970). In Chapter 1, "A Pentecostal in Ecumenical Circles," du Plessis shared the following:

Besides speaking with tongues, there was another very important doctrine and practice which the churches had rejected -- namely, divine healing. In my estimation Mr. James Moor [sic] Hickson was the man God used to really set the churches right on this matter. Pentecostals could not do it, although they were preaching the message and praying for the sick in almost every meeting in those days. Till this day I consider Mr. Hickson as God's great apostle to restore to the world the reality of divine healing.

Further reading:
The Story of Crowhurst Christian Healing Centre, The Old Rectory, and The Divine Healing Mission. See article here.

James Moore Hickson (Jim). See article here.

The Healing of Christ in His Church. See article here.

The Hickson Healing Mission – 1922. See article here.
 
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Note: My book, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind "Christ the Healer," can be purchased here with a 25% discount. Use the discount code: bosworth25.

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @bosworth_fred and @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer #BosworthMatters #BosworthMention